Rail-chair.



A. G. LIEBMANN. RAIL CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28,1913.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

L W n Z w t a rirrn s rains PATEN orrron.

AUGUST G. LIEB'MANN, 0F BUTTE, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR 'IO VIGNOLES RAIL CHAIR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

RAIL-CHAIR.

Application filed April 28, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUs'r G. LIEBMANN, citizen of the United States, residing at Butte, in the county of Silverbow and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway track appliance and particularly to rail chairs.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a very simple and relatively economical chair, so constructed as to give firm support to the rail against either vertical or lateral thrusts and so formed as to permit the rail to be laterally adjusted or vertically adjusted in order that the rail may be brought to a level.

A still further object of the invent-ion is to construct a chair with adjustable rail braces under the head ofthe rail and supporting it against lateral thrust.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the chair that the rail may be adjusted either laterally or vertically by any section hand or track walker, without the employment of jacks, lining bars and similar tools now used for this purpose.

A further object is to provide means whereby a rail may be held to a tie by permanent primary fastenings and by adjustable secondary fastenings.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of the tie, a rail, and the improved rail chair, the end of the rail being in section; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on a line cutting the screw-spikes; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to these figures, A designates a railroad tie and B a standard rail. Disposed upon the tie and beneath the base of the rail is a bed-plate designated 2. This bed-plate is of channel steel and while it is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 11.915.

Serial No. 764,153.

preferably made by pressing and rolling steel, 1t may be formed of malleable steel. The middle of this bed-plate is designed to form the rail seat. At its lateral margins, the bed-plate is formed with upwardly extend ng flanges 3, these flanges extending longltudinally for the full length of the bedplate. These flanges constitute spaced abutments.

The bed-plate inward of the flanges 3 is perforated for the passage of screw-threaded attaching spikes, designated 4. These attaching spikes 4- are formed on their lower ends with Wood screw-threads, while the upper ends are formed with machine screwthreads, it being designed that the lower ends of the spikes shall be screwed into the wood of the tie, while the upper ends are adapted to receive the nuts 5 and 6, the nut 5 being a lock nut and holding the nut 6 in place.

Disposed at each side of the rail and engaging under the head thereof on each side of the web and abutting against the web are upwardly and inwardly inclined rail braces 7 which consist of rolled sections of metal flanged at their upper ends so as to engage with the under side of the head of the rail and press against the web of the rail at its intersection with the head. Each of the rail braces 7 at its lower end is laterally extended as at 8 and formed with a flat lower face designed to rest flat upon the lateral margin of the base flange of the rail and afford a shoulder which will bear against the edge of the base flange. The outer face of this flat base 8 is straight and approximately parallel with the inner face of the upwardly turned marginal flange 3 of the bed-plate.

V'Vhile under normal conditions the rail B will rest flat upon the upper face of the bedplate 2, yet under certain conditions it is desirable to raise the rail B to a small extent. This is secured by inserting a shim 10 between the bed-plate and the base of the rail. It is obvious that the braces 7 may be raised to accommodate the additional elevation given to the rail. eral adjustment of the rail, the distance between the flanges 3 of the bed-plate is slightly greater than the width of the rail In order to secure a latbase plus the width of the bases 8 of the braces 7. This permits the braces 7 and therail to be shifted laterally to a slight degree. In order to permit this lateral shifting of the braces 7 and the rail, the bases 8 of the braces are formed with slots 11 through which the composite bolts and screw spikes pass. the rail and the braces, a shim 9 is inserted between one of the side flanges 3 of the bed plate and the adjacent base 8. This shim, when driven home, will force the rail and the braces laterally. WVhen the parts are shifted to the required degree, the nuts 5 and 6 are tightened down upon the composite bolts and screw spikes and the parts are held rigidly in position. WVhen so held, it will be seen that the base of the rail is firmly engaged by the shoulders 12 formed on the lower ends of the braces 7 and that the base of the rail is prevented from any lateral shifting by the bases 8 of the braces 7 It will further be seen that the rail is prevented from tipping, not only by the fact that the base is engaged by the shoulder on the lower end of the brace 7, but that the head of the rail is braced by engagement with the upper end of the opposite brace 7.

Preferably the bed-plate 2 has the same width as the tie, and the bed-plate may have any desired length. By providing a bedplate which has the same width as the tie, the weight is uniformly distributed and the crushing action of the rail eliminated.

It will be seen that primary means are provided for holding the rail to the chair consisting of the screw-spikes 4, and that these screw-spikes are practically perma' nent, and that secondary means are provided for holding the rail to the chair, said secondary means consisting of the nuts mounted on the screw-spikes and the braces '7. It is not necessary, therefore, to remove the chair from the tie. Inasmuch as the chair is permanently attached to the tie, and does not require to be removed, it is econon'iically possible to provide a water proof layer between the tie and the chair or otherwise treat the tie so as to prevent rotting thereof. Inasmuch as the chair is firmly attached to the tie, it is obvious that very little change has to be made in order to hold the rail in proper position.

It will be seen that with this construction, it is easy to laterally adjust any rail so as to secure perfect alinement of the rails, and further that it is relatively easy to raise any portion of the rails by the insertion of a shim between the rails and the chair. Where rails are held to ties liy spikes, this is'practically impossible without the withdrawing of a large number of spikes, the lifting of a rail by'a section gang, and the introduction of shims. It will be seen that shims of When it is desired to laterally shift relatively great thickness might be used with this improved form of chair without in any way affecting unfavorably the clamping action of the rail braces. It is to be also noted that the rail braces will have a certain resilient engagement with the rail head, thus preventing the shearing of the base flange of the rail at the point of intersection with the web. In other words, if by any chance the rail is lifted, as through the action of frost, and spikes are used to hold the rail in position on the-tie, either the spikes will be withdrawn or the base flange will be liable to be sheared off. This cannot occur with the present chair for the reason that the rail braces themselves will give sufliciently to prevent the flange from shearing.

The lower outer corners of the bases 8 of the railbraces'fl' are cut-away as at 13 so that when a shim 9 is inserted, the lower margin of the shim will extend into this'cutaway portion 13 so asto prevent the accidental dislodgment of the'shim.

The abutments of the bed plate perform the dual function of holding the rail to gage in the different positions of said rail, and as a means for supporting the rail braces in a truss-like manner, thus preventing buckling of thebed plate downwardly at its center and curling upwardly at its edges and permitting the employment of a bed plate of ordinary thickness.

Particular attention may be called in connection with the improved rail chairto the ofiicial report of the Block Signal and Train Control Board of the Interstate"Commerce Commission, this report being dated June 29, 1912, wherein certain requirements are laid down for rail supports and wherein the board says: A fundamental defect in design which is most apparent is the failure to realize and appreciate the overturning movement due to the wheel flange pressure against the head of the rail. It is not sufficient that the tie should support the vertical loads and resist directly horizontal thrusts and the tendency of the trackto move laterally and longitudinally, but -the overturning movement must be resisted. In order that the tie may properly support the stresses transmitted to it by the rail, a suitable fastening of the rails to the ties is most essential. Further the report statesthat under conditions existing in a large proportion of the railroads in this country the means of adjustment of rail to tie must be such as to admit of blocking up or shimming. The board further says that adequate means should be provided for shim ming or for widening gage and this means should not involve lost motion and change of adjustment. It is pointed out that the improved rail chair, as heretofore described,

conforms to all of the requirements referred to in this report and at the same time that the fastenings are not of a complicated nature and that the chairs may be made relatively cheap and that they eliminate wear to cross ties.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a tie and a rail, of a chair therefor comprising a bed-plate resting upon the tie and supporting the rail and having upwardly extending abutments having vertically disposed inner faces, upwardly and inwardly inclined rail braces supported by the chair, each brace at its upper end engaging the rail at the intersection of the head and web thereof, the lower portion of each brace being formed with a base, the base being cut away upon its inner face to fit over the base flange of the rail, the outer vertical face of the base being flat and the lower face of the base being flat, said lower face being formed with a plurality of transverse slots, screw-spikes passing through the slots in the bases into the tie, and nuts engaging the screw-spikes and bearing upon the upper face of each base. a

2. The combination with a tie and rail, of a chair resting on the upper surface of the tie and including a bed-plate, and laterally and vertically adjustable rail braces supported on said bed plate and engaging the fishing space of the rail.

3. The combination with a tie and a rail, of upwardly and inwardly extending rail braces engaging the rail at the intersection of the web with the head thereof, said braces at their lower ends engaging over the base flange of the rail, and said braces being vertically adjustable and laterally adjustable.

- 4. A rail chair of the character described consisting of a section of channel iron, and upwardly and inwardly extending braces supported in said channel iron and vertically and laterally adjustable independently of each other.

5. A rail chair of the character described consisting of a section of channel iron, the ends of the base plate so formed having vertical inner faces, upwardly and inwardly extending braces supported in said channel iron and bearing against the upwardly extending end margins of the channel iron, the bases of said braces being slotted, and bolts passing through the channel iron section and through said slots, said bolts being screw-threaded at their upper and lower ends, and nuts engaging the upper screwthreaded portions of the bolts whereby to permit the rail and rail braces to be elevated and whereby to permit ready adjustment of the rail braces and rail without dislodgments of the primary fastenings.

6. A rail chair having means for permanent attachment to the upper surface of a cross tie and including a bed-plate having abutments, and laterally and vertically adjustable rail braces resting on the bed-plate between said abutments and adapted to engage both the base and head of a rail.

7. A rail chair comprising a bed-plate having oppositely disposed abutments, and upwardly and inwardly extending braces supported on the bed-plate between said abutments, and vertically and laterally adjustable independently of each other.

8. A rail chair including a bed-plate having spaced abutments, upwardly and inwardly extending braces supported on the bed-plate between said abutments and adjustable vertically and laterally independent of each other, and means for securing the braces in difi'erent positions of adjustment.

9. A rail chair including a bed-plate having spaced abutments, upwardly and inwardly extending braces supported on the bed-plate between said abutments and adjustable vertically and laterally of the bedplate, and means for permanently attaching the bed-plate to a sub-structure, said permanent attaching means serving to hold the braces in different positions of adjustment.

10. The combination with a bed-plate having spaced abutments, of a rail adapted to rest on the bed-plate or on a shim between said abutments, and upwardly and inwardly extending braces supported on the bed-plate between the abutments and engaging the lower face of the head of the rail, said braces being adjustable laterally to permit the insertion of a shim between the abutments and braces.

11. A rail chair comprising a bed-plate having oppositely disposed abutments, and laterally and vertically adjustable rail braces supported on the bed-plate between the abutments, said rail braces being movable toward and from the abutments to vary the distance between the outer faces of the lower ends of the braces and the abutments to permit the insertion or removal of a sideshim.

12. The combination with a bed-plate having spaced abutments, of a rail resting on the bed-plate or on a shim between said abutments, rail braces supported on the bedplate between the abutments and bearing against both the base of the rail and the head thereof, said braces being adjustable laterally between the abutments to permit the insertion or removal of side-shims, and means extending through the rail braces and chair for permanently attaching said chair to a cross tie.

13. A rail chair comprising a bed-plate having spaced abutments, upwardly and inwardly extending braces supported on the bed=plate between the abutments and adapted to engage both the head and base of a rail, said braces being adjustable laterally betweenthe abutments to permit the insertion ofside shims, and means for holding the braces in adjusted position.

14. A; rail chair including a bed-plate having spaced abutments, means for perma-' nently attaching the bed-plate to a substructure, laterally and vertically adjustable rail braces supported on the'bed-plate and adapted to bear against both the head and base of a rail, said braces being provided rue-sea Gbpies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

